Draw-bar and yoke connection.



J. F. OCONNOR. I

'DRAW BAR AND YOKE CONNECTION. APPLICATION FILED NOV. 20, 1916.

11,286,735. Patentd Dec. 3, 1918.

IN VEN TOR WITNESSES.-

N Jakwffl $1 ,702"

\LLQw ATTORNEY JOHN F.

n snares nannies ornron OCON'NDR, CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR '10 WILLIAM H. MINER, F

. CHAZY, NEW YQRK.

' DRAW-BAR AND YOKE CONNECTION.

fball whom it may concern: Be it known that I, JoHN F. 0 00x1103, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of '5 Illinois, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Draw-Bar and Yoke Connections, of which the following is a full, clear, concise, and exact description, reference being bad to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification.

This invention relates-to improvements in drawbar and yoke connections. 4

The object of the invention is to provide a detachable connection for draw bars and old yoke straps of the riveted type and.

- wherein the parts are so connected as to secure an unusually rigid and strong connection with the draw bar butt.

In the drawing forming apart of this specification, Figure 1 is a part vertical section, part side elevation of a draw bar and yoke showing my improvements in connection therewith. Fig. 2 is a horizontal sectional view taken substantially on the line 22 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a vertical transverse s tional view on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1. And Figs. 4: and 5 are detail perspectives of two of the elements employed in the connection. In said drawing, A designates a standard draw bar having a coupler key slot 10 and standardly located rivet holes 11-11, and B indicates a yoke strap of the usual form such as is ordinarily riveted to the draw bar,

said yoke B being provided also with standardly spaced rivet holes 1212 in both the upper and lower arms thereof.

For detachably connecting the draw bar andyoke, the following means. are provided.

A U-shaped member C having the arms thereof extending downwardly and straddling the draw bar is provided with integral relatively short lugs 13-13 properly spaced so as to extend through the rivet holes 12 and 11 of the upper arm and upper wall of the yoke and draw bar butt, respectively. At their lower ends, the side arms 14.0f'the member O are pr'ovided with rectangular sections 15-15 adapted to be seated in correspondingly shaped recesses 16-46 in theends of a lower member D'which is substantially in the form of a plate with depending bosses 17 in which the recesses 16 are formed on its up er face. The member 1) is-provided wit a pair of relatively short inte- Specification of Letters Eatent.

5 gral lugs 18 spaced the standard distance apart and adapted to extend through the -1I1 assembled relation by any suitable means such as the longitudinally extending tapered "keys l919 which pass through suitable v rat-eaten Dec. 3,1918. Application filed November 20, 1916. Serial No. 132,299.

slots in the bosses 17 and sections 15. The

. which surrounds the draw bar butt and the free ends of the yoke arms.and in themselves secure a connection between the draw bar and yoke. However, in order to make a still more efiective connection between the yoke and draw bar, I have provided blocks E-E each of which is adapted to fit on the side' of the draw bar'butt. Each block E comprises upper and lower horizontal flanges 21 and 22 which engage the usual upper and lower shoulders 23 and 24 of the draw bar butt, to thus prevent rearward movement of the block with respect to the draw bar. Each block E is also provided on its outer face with-a groove or channel 25 to snugly aocommodate a downwardly extending side arm 14 of themember O, to therebyprevent relative longitudinal movement between the block E and 'the member (1. As an additional security, a short key F is provided that fits within the coupler key slot 10, said key F having short lateral extensions 26 at its ends which are seated in correspondingly shaped recesses 27 provided in the walls of the blocks E.

In assembling the device, the key F is first inserted in the coupler slot 10, then the blocks E are applied, next the member C and finally the member D, the latter being held in position by insertion of the keys 19.

From the arrangement above described, it will be noted that the blocks E are'prevented from movement relatively to the draw bar by both the key F and the engagement of the flanges 21 and 22 with the draw bar shoulders 23 and 24. Themembers C and D are preventedfrom longitudinal movement with respect to the draw bar by both the lugs 13 and 18 and engagement of theside arms 14- of the member 0 within the channels of the blocks E. The latter construction also serves to place" the lugs 13 and 18 in double shear as will be obvious.

By the foregoing arrangement, I am enas bled to effect a large saving to railroads since the reemployment of old yoke straps of the riveted type is permitted, while at the same time a detachable connection between the draw bar and yoke is effected. It will also be seen that the key F may be omitted where draw bars are used that do not have the coupler key slot.

I claim:

1. In combination, a draw bar, a yoke, the butt of the draw bar extending between the arms of the yoke, the arms of the yoke and the butt having alined holes, two members located on the outer faces of the ends of the yoke arms and each having means extending into the adjacent alined holes of the yoke and draw bar butt, and blocks having shouldered engagement with the draw bar and with said members. v

2. In a device of thecharacter described, means adapted to dctachably connect a draw bar and a yoke strap having the usual rivet holes therein, said means comprising, a U- shaped member adapted to straddle the yoke and draw bar when the latter are assembled, a plate coiiperable with said member to form the fourth side of a band surrounding the yoke and draw bar, devices for locking said member and plate together, said plate and member being each provided with means adapted to penetrate said rivet holes, and blocks having shouldered engagement with said member, the blocks being adapted to be separately connected lo the draw bar.

3. In combination. a draw bar, a yoke,

' each having standardly located rivet holes therein, a separable multiple piece band surroundlngthe draw bar and yoke and having means extendin into said rivet holes, and

blocks having s ouldered engagement with 40 both the draw bar and said band.

4-. In a device of the character described, the combination with a yoke proper and a draw bar having alined holes, said draw bar having also'upper and lower transverse, forwardly facing shoulders, of a band detachable with respect to said yoke roper and draw bar and arranged to encirc e the draw bar butt andthe ends of said yoke proper,

devices penetrating said alined holes and immovable with respect to the draw bar and band in a direction paralleling the arms of said yoke proper, and means arranged to engage said transverse upper and lower shoulders of the draw bar, said means cotipera-t- 55 ing with said band to pull the latter forwardly upon forward movement of the draw bar, said devices being pulled against by the draw bar direct at points disposed within the arms of the yoke proper, said devices be- 39 in also pulled forwardly by the'band outsic e of the arms of said yoke proper onaccountof the pulling strains transmitted from the draw bar to said band by said means,

whereby said devices are placed under JOHN F. ooonnoaf 

